It sounds like a great idea. An upscale lounge on the 23rd floor of a 5-star hotel in the middle of the Strip with floor to ceiling windows on 3 sides. The reality isn’t as attractive. Mandarin Bar at Mandarin Oriental is a nice, quiet lounge, but the view isn’t that different from a “Strip View” hotel room and unless you are able to get a table by the window, you are looking through other patrons to get that view.  The drinks are at overpriced club prices. $18 for a Lemongrass Mojito specialty cocktail and $18.50 for a premium vodka martini. They were good, but it is difficult to rationalize the price. The food was slightly more reasonably priced. MObar Sliders $14, Steamed Edamame $10, Tuna Tataki $14. They were all good for bar food, but not noteworthy otherwise.

The service was top-notch (it is the Mandarin Oriental after all). They were out of the specific vodka I wanted, but the bartender offered to go to another bar to get it. I didn’t want him to have to do that, so he helped guide me to another vodka that I wasn’t familiar with. His knowledge of premium spirits and level of service were commendable.

The Mandarin Bar gets an average of 4.5 Stars on Yelp and TripAdvisor, so it appears that many people do like it. I’m glad that I have been to the Mandarin Bar, but I don’t see myself visiting again unless I’m staying at the Mandarin Oriental.

For more information, visit the Mandarin Bar website.